


When Your Fantasies Become Your Legacy

by Zappy



Category: Batman: The Telltale Series (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-13 07:03:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13565343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zappy/pseuds/Zappy
Summary: He doesn't think, doesn't take more than a second before he's over that railing and falling, falling, falling down. Diving into the choice that he still doesn't know will change everything.





	When Your Fantasies Become Your Legacy

**Author's Note:**

> Special note to Cat for helping me finish the chapter, despite the fact she's yet to play the second season of the game. You are wonderfully helpful as always.
> 
> Post chapter 4 "What Ails You" and thus has spoilers abound. Title from Panic! At the Disco's "House of Memories" which I had on repeat while writing and which inspired this whole thing.

A thousand and one emotions flashed through his head as he reached the edge of the bridge. Relief and pride in how John handled Harley, warmed by the fact John said that he showed him how to be good. Solidarity when John decided no one should have that deadly virus...fear for his life when Waller pulled the gun. Even more fear when John detonated the bombs. When he ran to try and catch John on that ledge, he wasn’t even remotely sure what he was going to say.

 

As he watched the man fall, he didn’t have to. Without even taking another second to pause, Bruce climbed over the railings, took a breath, and dove after him. The impact with the water was painful, but his clothes were already ruined so he put it out of his mind, and instead blearily looked around trying to find that familiar flash of purple and green. He caught movement to the side of him and swam up to break the surface, just a few seconds after John himself had.

 

“You goddamn idiot! John, you could’ve  _ died _ !” Were the first words out of Bruce’s mouth, to which John only stared at him in shock and then burst out in his loud laughter. It was dark even with the full moon lighting up the night, but Bruce still saw the glimmer in those eyes.

 

“Then why’d ya jump after me?” Bruce honestly didn’t have a reply to that, so instead he swam closer so they weren’t shouting. The noise from above them on the bridge was muffled somewhat by the distance, but he could still hear the sirens.

 

“Come on, we need to get to shore before the Agency and Waller do. I don’t know about you but I don’t have any batarangs on me.”

 

“Aw,  _ really _ ? Does it ruin the line of your fancy suit?” John joked with a smile and Bruce really fought not to return it. He was pissed about this stunt. He wouldn’t let John make him smile. Somehow he had a feeling he must’ve let something slip because John just laughed even more. The rest of the swim was quiet, filled only with their heavy breathing. Bruce was seriously regretting not taking more painkillers earlier that night while he could, his ribs were killing him.

 

Crawling onto shore was undignified, with their clothes plastered to their bodies and the night air cutting right through them to make them shiver, but still John looked like he was walking on air. When Bruce shot him a questioning look, his voice was quiet and filled with wonder. “You jumped after me.”

 

That brought Bruce up short. He had, without even really thinking about it. “...Of course I did. Like I said, John. That was a foolish  _ dramatic  _ stunt and you could’ve died from that height. I had to make sure you were okay.”

 

John didn’t seem to hear the ‘foolish’ part, “Oh I wish I was up there to see the picture of you diving off it. I bet it was amazing!”

 

“You’re not listening, are you.” Bruce said flatly with a sigh. John sent him a dazzling smile. Picking himself up to his feet, he offered a hand to help John which the man took with another soft look. “The virus, do you still have it?”

John theatrically checked his chest and felt all his pockets before pulling out the vial. “Gotcha! So, whatta we do with it?”

 

“Neutralize it, then destroy it. You had the right instinct back there, John. Waller can’t be allowed to have it. No one can. It’s too dangerous.”

 

A sly smirk formed on John’s face, “I had a feeling that’s what you’d say.”

 

Before Bruce could decide how he’d respond to that, sirens broke the silence. Guiding them both to hide behind one of the pillars of the bridge, Bruce pulled out his car keys and pressed a button. John noticed and gave him a befuddled look, “Uh, I think you’re out of range to unlock your car, buddy.”

 

“It’s the batmobile. It’ll drive itself to our location shortly.”

 

“Wait. So, earlier we were in the  _ batmobile _ ? Cool! Does that mean the car you promised to buy me is gonna be able to do that too?” John’s smile was eager and pleading and Bruce gave him a long look before humming noncommittally.

 

“Maybe.” John hissed a pleased yes under his breath, and the fist pump he added to it just settled Bruce’s decision that he  _ was  _ in fact going to get John a purple version of the batmobile. Just...maybe once he’s sure that John won’t crash it. 

 

They had maybe five minutes to wait as the batmobile avoided detection, and the quiet in that time was making Bruce anxious. He’d not really thought through his decision to jump off that bridge, beyond wanting to make sure John was safe, and now thoughts were piling up in his head and he was questioning just what the hell he was doing. Waller was certainly thoroughly pissed off at him now, if all the rest of the night’s events hadn’t secured that, jumping off the bridge and out of her clutches did. What did that mean for his secret, for Alfred, for Tiffany? Did he just throw all their futures away on a split second choice?

 

The sound of his car pulling up not far from them broke his thoughts, along with John’s soft exclamation of, “Sweetest ride I’ve  _ ever  _ seen.” Bruce had to admit as he took a second look at the batmobile, that it  _ was  _ more impressive looking in armor mode than in casual. “Ohoo hoo, this gives new meaning to calling  _ shotgun  _ doesn’t it?”

 

Bruce paused at John’s excited chuckle and gave him a glare that wasn’t as hard as it could’ve been but was most certainly serious. “No guns, John. Not ever.”

 

John seemed to sense just how serious he was being in that moment because his smile dropped like a stone. “Oh.  _ Oh _ . Guess my whole ‘got a lotta guns, if that helps’ didn’t really... _ help _ then…”

 

“I admit, you didn’t exactly impress Batman then.” Before John could look too much like a kicked puppy, Bruce smirked and continued, “But saving Batman’s life with the batarang I gave you and showing you’d actually practiced? Very impressive.”

 

John lit up like a Christmas tree. “Really! Wow. I, uh, wasn’t quite sure I’d got the…” he mimed throwing a batarang. “Wrist thing right.”

 

Bruce gave him a slightly fond look and a half smile, “You only got the batarang a few days ago, John. That’s remarkable improvement. It took me ages to get the balance right, and I had them designed for me specifically.” Before he could see John’s expression to that compliment, those starry-eyed looks were starting to make him feel a bit too warm, he got in the batmobile and unlocked the other door for John.

 

The drive towards the Cave would be a long one, and after a few moments of quiet and John taking in everything inside the car with new eyes once he knew what it was, it started getting tense. Taking a deep breath, Bruce started the conversation he really didn’t want to have but that he knew must happen, “John. About those agents at the Bonus Brothers’ Carnival…”

 

He saw the moment John froze and gulped before offering a strained smile, “Ah. You...you did mention wanting to talk about...that.” Bruce’s grip on the wheel tightened.

 

“Yes,  _ that _ . Tell me what happened John. Just- go through it and tell me straight, don’t worry about what I’m going to think until the end because if you fudge something, I-” Bruce took a breath to calm down. “I believe you. I  _ trust  _ you John, with a  _ lot _ . And in the past few years, every time I’ve done that I’ve gotten hurt, and I really  _ really  _ don’t want you to be another of those.”

 

John’s smile faltered. “...guess that mayor friend of yours really hit you hard, huh?”

 

A mirthless laugh escaped Bruce as he shook his head, “Harv? Harv was just the  _ latest _ . The public wasn’t really made aware, but Oz-  _ Penguin _ ? First best friend of my life. Until everything went to hell and he decided to pin everything my father did on me. Catwoman,” Bruce sighed and gave John a side-eyed look, “You weren’t...entirely off the mark about our relationship. A year ago. Before she used what I was going through to try and steal from me and then ran out of town just as I was about to face Lady Arkham. You already know I didn’t expect Vicki. Still kicking myself about that one.”

 

There was a tense silence as Bruce finished bitterly, “So, yeah. Hit me a bit  _ hard  _ when every person I knew was either lying to me, using me, or tried to kill me.”

 

“Sounds familiar,” John muttered.

 

That took Bruce a moment. He knew he’d hurt John by using his connection to the Pact, he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, but still. He glanced at the man he called friend, and for the first time really saw him. “I’m sorry, John. I didn’t want to do that to you. It’s no excuse and I realize that, but for what it’s worth I  _ am  _ sorry and you  _ are  _ my friend.”

John rubbed his face, and looked out of the window. “...ok, ok. No need to get sentimental on me, buddy. We just have to take down these agents and then…” he trailed off. “Uh, actually. What happens then? I’m kinda new to this whole city-saving thing.”

 

“What happens then is getting Gotham back to normal. For Gotham, anyway. But I want to make something clear here, John. Taking down the Agency?  _ Waller  _ is the threat, not the agents themselves. They’re following orders, and most of them don’t even know why those orders are there. Avesta, you met her, she found out what Waller was planning and helped us. We need them out of Gotham and Waller out of power but we’re not  _ killing them _ .” Bruce firmly informed him as they pulled into the long tunnel. It became so dark that only the light in the car lit them up, giving a somewhat sinister angle to their shadows. He looked to John and knew that he was speaking more as Batman than Bruce at the moment, “I won’t stand for it if it’s preventable. You matter to me John, but like I told you before, doing the right thing- the good thing, will always come first. Even if it hurts those you love.”

 

Without his cowl, he couldn’t see clearly just how John looked in that moment, but the silence and darkness after his statement was broken by reaching the cave and John’s attention being snapped to just where they were.

 

“...Got to hand it to you, Bruce. You do not mess about with the ‘bat’ theme, do ya? Are those actual, live bats in the ceiling? Or did someone just stick a few hundred stuffed animals up there?” John was grinning from ear to ear now, and Bruce honestly wasn’t sure which answer he was hoping for.

 

“The bats are real. But they don’t come down to the main part of the cave much.”

 

“Not  _ yet _ !” John retorted. “What do bats like to eat? I heard something about fruit-bats…”

 

“No fruit-bats in Gotham, unless you want to check the zoo.”

 

“Oh. So, something  _ rare  _ then, really juicy? I bet you can get the best steak money can buy!”

 

“They’re mouse-eared bats,” Bruce pointed out, amused. “They can’t anything much bigger than a spider. Mostly they just eat beetles.”

 

John’s dejected look and slumped shoulders didn’t last long, maybe three seconds. “Oh, I could catch a bunch of beetles and put them in a jar! Then they could fly down and snack on them and I could get a proper look! Hey, do you think they’d eventually let me pet ‘em?”

 

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up. But if you want to try…” Bruce walked towards the computer and sank down on the chair there with a heavy sigh, closing his eyes. The past few hours caught up to him and he felt like he could sleep for days. Behind him he heard John cooing at the bats and occasionally letting out a noise of excitement as he explored the cave. It was so calming, the noises of the bats and John’s gushing, that Bruce almost drifted off to sleep in that chair. It wouldn’t be the first time. He was brought out of his trance by the noise of the elevator to the manor opening.

 

“Bruce? Bruce! Are you here? I saw, on the news- Oh, good lord.”

 

Alfred’s shocked exclamation jolted him and he sat up and turned, seeing John giving a pleased wave to a horrified looking Alfred. “Hiya! You must be Jeeves, figured Brucie-buddy would have one.” John narrowed his eyes and gave Alfred a long look before snapping his fingers, “Right! You picked ‘em up from Arkham last year! Saw ya in the hallway, sorry about not saying hi then, was a bit rude of me, but I had to tell Brucie the info he wanted to know.”

 

Alfred was still staring, but collected himself quickly. “I see…” he said, sounding distinctly hostile. Then, he caught sight of Bruce. “Oh! You’re here! And not too badly hurt, even! After I saw the news I was afraid you might’ve-”

 

Bruce stood hurridly and made his way towards the two of them, “No, no I’m fine. I’m sorry to worry you, Al.”

 

“Nothin’ to be worried about really, that jump wasn’t that high and the water was refreshing wasn’t it?”

 

Bruce glared at John who was smiling but seemed to notice he’d said something wrong when Bruce shook his head at him. Alfred looked aghast. “Jump? Water? You- you  _ jumped  _ off the Gotham bridge?!”

 

“...you said you saw the news,” Bruce pointed out, nonplussed, feeling a bit like he was trying to explain away another suspension notice from Gotham Academy.

 

Alfred looked him up and down, noticing the slowly drying but still soaked clothes and the fact he was only wearing his clothes. “You’re not even in your suit! That fall could’ve killed you!”

 

“That’s what he told me!  _ Wow _ , you really do care. And I see where you got it from.” John piped up and Al looked at him like he was speaking a foreign language he didn’t know. Then he turned to Bruce and put on a strained smile.

“Master Bruce, can we ...talk for a moment?” Bruce knew where that talk was bound to lead, but didn’t want to fight it. So while Alfred turned and went towards the computer to wait for him Bruce turned to John.

 

“The armory is over there, if you want to get a new batarang, John. I need to talk with Al real quick, and then I’ll see about giving you a proper tour of the cave, okay?”

 

John gave him a very sharp look for a moment, then grinned. “Sure thing. Any special batarangs I should know about? Which ones do the electricity thing?”

 

Bruce smirked at him and mimed the shape with his hands, “Not a batarang, it’s a seperate thing, more circular. Also the smoke bombs are over there, try not to knock one over, they smell a bit. Otherwise, feel free to practice if you want, there are targets adjacent to them that way.”

 

Alfred cleared his throat and gave Bruce a disapproving look. Bruce sighed under his breath and with one more smile at John turned and followed Alfred so they could ‘talk’. Which he knew would be more of a scolding than a talk. Why was it Alfred could always make Bruce feel like a teenager again?

 

“Are you out of your senses?” Alfred hissed, as soon as they were out of earshot. “Bruce...I understand that you might feel some sympathy, but that man caused how much damage on that bridge alone, never mind what he might have done before that!”

 

“He saved everyone on that bridge before Waller pulled a gun on him, by turning on the one person who he said mattered  _ most  _ to him because it was the right thing, the  _ good  _ thing to do! Yes, he...needs some guidance. But I think I can help him. I think he could be something great if he worked at it, had someone to believe in him. I’ve always had you, Al. From the start, but John is just now discovering the world, he’s spent half of his life in Arkham.”

 

“My point exactly! You told me he started a riot at Arkham where people almost died!”

 

“...well, yes,” Bruce admitted. “A bit. But he’s doing better now, and he really does want to help. And I want to help him.”

 

Alfred sighed so heavily it seemed like he shrank three inches and he looked so tired. Bone tired and Bruce was reminded of that vacation he’d promised only earlier that night. “I know better than to try to convince you not to help someone. But please, Bruce. Watch yourself. Just how well do you know this man? Who you apparently told your secret, if his presence here is any indication.”

 

Bruce looked across the cave to where John had picked up another batarang, admiring it just as he’d done the first one. “Actually, he figured it out himself. A while ago, but told me he knew when I met him at the Bonus Brothers’ Carnival. He knew and kept it to himself, even when he could’ve earned Harley’s favor with it.” Bruce looked back to Alfred, the person he cared the most about in the world, full stop. “I trust him. I know I probably shouldn’t...but I do. And so far, he hasn’t let me down.”

 

Alfred sighed. “I suppose nothing I say will convince you to stop?” Bruce risked another look at John and heard Alfred’s intake of breath. “ _ Oh _ , Bruce.” He didn’t want to know what Alfred saw, was still telling himself he didn’t already know. With a look to his closest family member that Bruce only admitted to himself was half pleading, Bruce offered a small smile and squeezed the man’s arm. Alfred’s eyes followed him as Bruce left to rejoin John, possibly teach him how to throw at targets that were moving faster than Bane had been. His father, in his heart if not of blood, was silent but Bruce could feel the sorrow and pity in that gaze.

 

“Bruce,” he quietly spoke up just before he reached the final step. Bruce half turned so he was looking back up at Al. “Watch how much you tell yourself you can help.  _ Caring  _ for someone, and...and making excuses or saying they can change...hurts all the  _ more  _ when you discover they can’t.”

 

Not for the first time Bruce wondered just what the dynamic between Al and his parents truly was. And knew he’d likely never find out. For now, he turned his focus to taking down Waller, to getting rid of the virus, to seeing to it that John could still walk a good path...those other issues could be dealt with later.


End file.
